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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Just thought I'd bring people's attention to this interesting blog post by a professional freelance pianist in Virginia. She's made some interesting videos of her practicing where she narrates some of her thought process. Definitely worth a look:

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"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)

Mark_C
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Just watched a little of the beginning.

Something struck me right away, and I'm inclined to say I "disagree" with it although that's silly because, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. She stopped herself after just a few notes because she didn't like something about what she heard, presumably something like the dynamics, balance, or voicing.

I'm assuming this is her first playing of the day, no warming up or anything, which she did seem to imply. If it's not, this wouldn't apply. Assuming it is....It seems to me to be a mistake to be judging your playing in such a way after just first starting to play, because not being warmed up, you can't expect that kind of control. Rather, listen to what you're doing, ease into it, and adjust what you're doing as you go along. If I approached it as she did, I'd be needlessly frustrated, and I think I'd risk hurting my hands because of trying too hard before being warmed up. Another way I see it, it's like taking a mathematical thing to more decimal places than is meaningful; you're not ready to aim that precisely yet.

Maybe I'll listen to more later. But right away, my impression is that this is someone whose approach is so different than what seems to make sense to me that I wouldn't gain much. Even though she's quite cute. (Sorry folks ....but for what it's worth, I think I can guarantee you that that's the main thing most people clicking on the video will notice, and the main thing they'll care about.)

Kreisler: Want to say something about what you find good or interesting in what she does?

She's not judging her playing, she's judging her practising. It's the sort of thing that is difficult to see in a video, because of course, the hands played the notes, pretty much, but I don't think you're right in assuming she stopped because she didn't like what it sounded like. It's my suspicion that she stopped because she detected some sort of uncertainty in the hands. This is absolutely an ok thing to do whilst 'practising' a passage, especially if it is an uncertainty one hasn't felt before, and especially if it's such an important moment in the piece. That's one of the points of slow practice, to expose these flaws in our muscle memories. Of course if a whole 2 hour session is nothing but stopping and starting then that's probably not very good either, but it is interesting to me that you don't seem to make a distinction between playing and practising. I actually have a lot of ideas on this whole area, I'd like to make a bunch of videos similar to hers if I could get over my fear of speaking on camera.

Listening a bit further, she reveals that 'I have to do it really slowly to be able to process that pattern' i.e. the pattern of which notes of the chord he leaves out and when. It seems that this is the first time she has looked at this piece in a while.

pianoloverus
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Whatever she wants to do and say is up to her. Deciding what's appropriate for her(saying she stopped to soon since she wasn't warmed up, for example) or generalizing on how useful something is for others is silly.

I think this is a terrific idea because although I've watched some of OSKing, debucey, and Lisitsa's practicing I often wasn't really sure of why they stopped or what they were trying to do at every point. With an actual explanation it's far more interesting and instructive.

I don't think it's silly at all. I think he misunderstood her reasoning, but making conjecture about what might be useful for others (I thought he did it in a very amenable way) is perfectly valid if you have some knowledge or experience to bring to the table, otherwise what would be the point of teachers and masterclasses?

I think this is a terrific idea because although I've watched some of OSKing, debucey, and Lisitsa's practicing I often wasn't really sure of why they stopped or what they were trying to do at every point. With an actual explanation it's far more interesting and instructive.

Yes this is much more useful than just hearing someone practice.

Quote:

Would anyone find it interesting if I recorded myself reading a book?

No, I'm not a book reader but a piano player But maybe someone who does not know how to properly read aloud books might be interested in hearing you explain why you choose certain intonations, phrasings etc

Mark_C
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Originally Posted By: debrucey

....it is interesting to me that you don't seem to make a distinction between playing and practising....

Funny -- you thought I mistook what she was doing, and it's possible you're right about that, but you mistook what I was talking about! I have no idea what made you think I wasn't talking about what you said I should have been talking about.

I was.

I was totally talking about practicing. And if I wasn't exactly right about what made her stop, it's still true that her way of approaching it was something fairly alien to how I work and what I think is good.

Originally Posted By: pianoloverus

Whatever she wants to do and say is up to her. Deciding what's appropriate for her(saying she stopped to soon since she wasn't warmed up, for example) or generalizing on how useful something is for others is silly....

Kreisler: Want to say something about what you find good or interesting in what she does?

Sure!

The practicing seems efficient and, in this session at least, geared towards getting notes learned and in one's hands. What I like is that there's clear evidence that there's a mind behind everything going on.

Also, there's a clear feeling that she's a professional. She's taking her time. There's no rush in getting to the proper tempo, and she doesn't gloss over the easy parts. In the Franck sonata, like a lot of chamber literature, what's difficult for the piano isn't necessarily difficult for the soloist. A good musician works on all the notes, not just the hard ones.

On the subject of not warming up and judging your playing, I don't find anything at fault. Given that this person is a professional with a great deal of experience (see her rep list), I'm pretty sure she's well aware of what she can expect from her hands and mind when sitting down to practice. Also, there's more to being warmed up than running scales or Hanon. Sometimes, all it takes is some physical activity to get the blood flowing. I find that something as simple as walking around the house doing chores can be sufficient to get the hands in shape and ready for the keyboard.

_________________________
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)

Mark_C
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Originally Posted By: Kreisler

....Also, there's more to being warmed up than running scales or Hanon....

Things are so easily misunderstood.

I thought I implied that I agree with what you said -- because, I didn't raise any issue about what she played when she sat down. I didn't mean at all that "warming up" meant scales or Hanon; I meant how one goes about the playing when first sitting down.

But thanks for the nice reply/explanation. I don't really buy a lot of it, but then again, I probably don't know enough not to buy it.

I appreciated the clip. I had just been explaining efficient practicing to a student the other day and I forwarded this to him. I appreciate that she has a system that isn't just mindless repetition.

I'd like to hear with other people do differently than in this clip for their practicing. For example, I will most often play straight through an piece and identify the measures that need work without really stopping. Then I go back and just target those measures and reincorporate them back into the context of the piece. I'll do this over a series of days, then once every few days play straight through to see the progress, reassess what needs work, etc.

For those that don't particularly care for this person's way of practicing what do you do differently?

Mark_C
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Originally Posted By: Morodiene

....For those that don't particularly care for this person's way of practicing what do you do differently?

OK, I'll start.

I have no single way of doing it. It varies infinitely according to the pieces I'm working on, what stage I'm at with them, how much time I have, whether I think I'll have more time later on that day to continue working on it, and other things. (I often do exactly what you said when a piece is very far along, like 'almost ready,' but not otherwise.)

The only constant is that I don't get at all microscopic unless and until I'm warmed up. Sitting down, playing a few notes and going "Oh no" is so completely alien to me that I can't even come up with a stupid analogy for it. If something disgusting happens in those first few notes, which I doubt it would because I wouldn't begin by playing something that was prone to such a thing, I'd keep going and ease into it and 'correct' my playing and maybe my physical approach as I went along but not make a big deal of it till I was close to full throttle and full control.

....For those that don't particularly care for this person's way of practicing what do you do differently?

OK, I'll start.

I have no single way of doing it. It varies infinitely according to the pieces I'm working on, what stage I'm at with them, how much time I have, whether I think I'll have more time later on that day to continue working on it, and other things. (I often do exactly what you said when a piece is very far along, like 'almost ready,' but not otherwise.)

The only constant is that I don't get at all microscopic unless and until I'm warmed up. Sitting down, playing a few notes and going "Oh no" is so completely alien to me that I can't even come up with a stupid analogy for it. If something disgusting happens in those first few notes, which I doubt it would because I wouldn't begin by playing something that was prone to such a thing, I'd keep going and ease into it and 'correct' my playing and maybe my physical approach as I went along but not make a big deal of it till I was close to full throttle and full control.

OK, I get what you're saying. However, she mentioned that she was practicing it for church that Sunday, and it was a piece she previously played. If I were really strapped for time, I'd probably jump right in like that too. As for not being warmed up, I usually am unless I play right when I wake up or something. It doesn't really take much for me to warm up, and once I am it's easy for me to get back into playing later on in the day with little or no warming up. That's gotta be individual. I don't know if she had not played at all during the day and this was her first session at the piano for the day. But again, I see what you mean, and sometimes if my mind is not 100% focused on what I'm about to do (thinking about the day's problems, etc.) I may need some time just to get into the swing of things - let alone getting my fingers ready.

The opening "oh no" is a fact of life for many of us who are accustomed to accompanying professionally.

In many situations, such as playing for churches and church choirs, in students' lessons, in rehearsals at schools, or even at concerts, there is no instrument or space available for warming up.

In these situations, one gets used to warming up on the fly. You shuffle the music around, grab a moment with the keyboard if you can, and dive right in.

This happens far more often than one might like to think. Even when warm-up space is available, it may be a long walk to the hall, or even in the next building on a university campus. I once played at a university hall where the only available instrument to warm up on was a battered upright. I had to weigh my options - warm up on a bad upright instrument that was completely unlike the performance instrument, or not warm up at all. (I chose not to use the bad upright, and simply did some light stretching instead.)

I find this is a psychological problem for some people, especially students. They get used to practicing under very regulated, controlled conditions - the right lighting, the right temperature, the usual warmup routine, etc., and then have trouble dealing with performance situations when the circumstances aren't agreeable.

Sometimes, you just have to sit down and go, and if that's 90% of what you do for a living, it makes a lot of sense to practice that way. If 90% of what you do is play for pleasure on your own instrument at home or at a school where you're on faculty and can better control your situation, then by all means tailor your practice session to those conditions.

Obviously, I have a lot of sympathy for freelance accompanists, being one myself. This semester, I will be playing for 5 students and 2 faculty members spread across three buildings, four rehearsal spaces, three teaching studios, and three performance spaces. I will frequently have to play without the luxury of a full warmup, and some of my practicing (though not all) will certainly be geared towards those situations.

_________________________
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)

Mark_C
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Originally Posted By: Kreisler

The opening "oh no" is a fact of life for many of us who are accustomed to accompanying professionally.

In many situations, such as playing for churches and church choirs, in students' lessons, in rehearsals at schools, or even at concerts, there is no instrument or space available for warming up.....Sometimes, you just have to sit down and go

In that situation, you absolutely don't want ever to stop and go "Oh no!" -- and so I'd say that what she did is contrary to this, contrary to building up your chops for that.

Besides that, much of what you talked about involved little warm-up. Remember, I was talking about it truly being the first time of the day that she touches the piano, which was what she seemed to indicate.

I realize that there might be some instances where you have to go cold into a situation -- but not usually, unless it doesn't matter that much to you and so you don't make it a desperate priority. I would. And if there still were situations where I wasn't able to warm up at all, IMO we're back to that first thing I said: what she did works against your ability to just keep going ahead when you're cold.

I'm sure there could be reasons that it's better for her to do what she did rather than just continuing and easing into her playing, but I don't see them (yet).

How about this - what harm do you think it did? The next hour of the practice session seemed quite productive and comfortable. It certainly didn't seem a hindrance.

_________________________
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)

Mark_C
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Originally Posted By: Kreisler

How about this - what harm do you think it did?....

When looking at something like this, talking about what hard it "did" doesn't address it. We're not just talking about this video; we're talking about an approach, an attitude -- and so the real question is, what harm it could do; and I've mentioned a few things:

-- Create needless frustration. Frustration is unpleasant. Save your frustration for where it can do you more good.

-- Unhealthy for the fingers and hands to put excessive demands on them before you're warmed up enough to be at your fullest control. I realize that this might not apply to everyone, and from the replies here, it looks like it absolutely doesn't. For me it would, and I imagine it would for at least some others, if not most.

-- Poor preparation -- in fact, anti-preparation -- for the situation you described above. You mentioned situations where you have to just 'sit down and go.' If you accustom yourself to stopping right after you first begin because of crap coming out, that seems like the exact opposite of what would best train you to "sit down and go."

Kreisler, I watched parts of the video thinking there was a reason for watching it and something to be learned. I could see the logic of what she was doing, but not how to use it. You pointed out some things that boil down to practising with purpose and thought, taking one's time, and making sure that all parts of a piece are prepared. But that goes without saying. Or doesn't it? Maybe a child who is instructed, "Play this part 5 X every day." will rush through things mindlessly, but otherwise?

My main thought is that how we practise depends on what we're practising, when, and why. In this video there is a professional pianist who already has her repertoire. She is basically going through it, seeing what needs work and polishing. For someone at an earlier stage it looks too unstructured and rushed. But at this stage, it makes sense. If a brand new piece is being learned, the practising would have a different shape. If the person is a student still acquiring technique, it would be different again. So other than a very general picture I wasn't sure what to see.

I am about as far musically and pianistically from the player's situation as it is possible to be, but I found it very absorbing and watched the lot. It's just something rarely seen and a glimpse of a world I know little about. I didn't much like the actual pieces but that is irrelevant. All we usually see is a finished product, be it a performance, an improvisation or a composition. Work in progress, with warts and all, is very rarely revealed, but think of what we could learn if more good pianists, composers and improvisers did so. Thanks for posting this and good on the lady in question for sharing what is virtually never shared.

Edited by Ted (01/05/1305:40 AM)

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pianoloverus
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I think that if Mark hadn't mentioned the "oh no" incident at the beginning(where she stopped to replay a few notes) any other poster would have even noticed or mentioned it. She stopped because there was a problem or concern and she felt like stopping. So?

IMO discussing those few seconds is trivial/inconsequential and misses the forest for not a tree but a twig. The important things to notice in the first few minutes that I watched were ones like those Kreisler mentioned earlier(practicing the passages at a slow enough speed so she can play the notes mostly correctly, hands separate when reviewing the notes, looking for ways to find a pattern in the passage or concluding that Rachmaninov changed that pattern).

Was she practicing the Rachmaninov B minor Prelude cadenza in the opening few minutes? I couldn't be sure because she was breaking it up into tiny phrases.

It was interesting for me (for the first 40 minutes or so that I watched) because she verbalized much of the kind of thing I do. I was surprised at how much I could identify with exactly what she was doing, and for me, that was a bit of a revelation, and one that I needed.

It was funny to realize I'd identified so much with it that when she didn't really quite get how to do the leggero bit in the Rachmaninoff, I was like yelling (in my mind, not literally) at the screen "lady, lighten it up, and you'll see what he had in mind for this passage".

My disorientation was that since it was posted I thought it was for the purpose of pointing out or teaching something. But it looked like dropping in on someone who is practising, except that they verbalize a few things, while others are just there. So maybe that's it. And on that level it's cool to watch people practice because you'll always pick up ideas. So I'm up to speed.